Oil and Gas Clean Tech Program

Backgrounder

The Government of Canada has made strong commitments toward building a low-carbon economy and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Canada is providing national leadership and joining with the provinces and territories to take action on climate change, put a price on carbon and reduce carbon pollution. This will help Canada reach its target of reducing GHG emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Developing Canada’s natural resources in cleaner, more sustainable ways will be critical to enabling the resource sectors’ continuing contributions to Canadian prosperity. Budget 2016 proposed to provide over $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017–18, to support clean technology in the natural resource sectors, including forestry, fisheries, mining, energy and agriculture.  

Budget 2016 also proposed $50 million over two years to accelerate the advancement of cleaner oil and gas technologies. Natural Resources Canada has launched a national request for proposals to identify cleaner oil and gas technologies that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector. This initiative could help to reduce GHG emissions by 2030, if these technologies are widely adopted across the oil and gas sector.

Projects that are eventually selected from the request for proposals may focus on:

• next-generation oil sands extraction (e.g., low-temperature, solvent-based extraction) that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from in-situ or mining operations, while at the same time reducing water use and significantly lowering production costs;
• energy-efficient systems applicable to upstream oil and gas operations;
• alternative low-carbon heat and power technologies that would reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of in-situ steam generation and provide clean energy to the electricity grid; and
• advanced technology solutions and infrastructure for carbon dioxide conversion into valuable, useful materials.  

To submit project proposals, interested parties can visit:
Request for Proposals - Submission Page

Contact

Alexandre Deslongchamps
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
343-292-6837

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
343-292-6100

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Hon. James Gordon Carr Natural Resources Canada Nature and Environment